Comparative study on local and imported strains of chicks II. equations and predicted extrapolations for economical evaluation of meat production

A comparative study was carried out to determine the economical merit of producing broilers from local (Fayoumi), cross bred (Dokki 4) and foreign strains (Nichols) of chicks, given similar diets. An average farm size of about 5000 chick/turn, and chicks to be marketed at a constant live weight of About 1 kg, were considered. The cost of labor and management was considered similar for the three strains of chicks, over a period of one year. As the local and the cross strains did not reach the marketing weight up to 8 weeks of age, too functions were fitted to predict the time needed to reach 1 kg live weight and feed intakes during this period for the 3 strains. The result showed when given similar rations, imported fast-growing strains of chickens are likely to be an essential item for economical poultry meat production in Egypt